


Closing Time

by thetimetravellingangelat221b



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Sherlock Holmes and Drug Use, mild violence (not descriptive)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 19:26:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1097718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetimetravellingangelat221b/pseuds/thetimetravellingangelat221b
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock goes looking for a buzz to take his mind off John and runs into some trouble. Then back in the hospital it's confession time where Sherlock has to face up to John. There's also a helping hand from Lestrade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Closing Time

This is where emotions got you. This is what emotions did to you; they stuck you in a sleazy bar filled with cheap beer and prostitutes. Not that Sherlock was there for that. He was there to tempt himself.  
The dregs of his beer swirled round the glass in his hand whilst he pondered whether to give into temptation or not. All he needed was one hit. One hit would erase the pain John had caused him, even if it was unintentional. One hit could distract him, make his mind explode, make him happy.  
How could he betray himself like this? He’d always been so carefully controlled when it came to his emotions. So how did they manifest so far beyond his icy grip?  
The answer was there and he knew it - it was admitting it that was the problem. If he was truly honest with himself he’d known for months that he was in love with John. He’d been able to keep it hidden, deep within the dungeons of his mind palace. But tonight it had become too much to bear as anger and arousal was coursing through him like a bad cocktail.  
Arousal, that was also new and difficult to bear. There were times when he’d been aroused before but it had been easy to supress. But now it wasn’t so easy with John around.  
The flat was no place for him tonight, John was so perfectly adorable that he had to get out to avoid forcing himself upon him. In fact he was so aroused that he considered asking a stranger to just toss him off, but before he could make up his mind, something else distracted him; something with a better rush.  
A figure in the more shady corner of the pub caught his eye. He looked shifty and beads of guilty sweat were forming on his forehead.  
Once again Sherlock revaluated his choice, half-heartedly persuading himself not to do it, but in the end the need for it was too much and before he knew it he was back in front of his old drug dealer.  
“Here’s two hundred pounds, I need whatever you have, but cocaine is preferable.” He ordered firmly, all too easily slipping into his old routine.  
“Sherlock! I can’t say I’m glad to see you because I can’t give you anything, can I? You paid us all off remember? Told us that if you did try and get any, we should call the police.” The dealer said smugly as though he had been waiting for this to happen.  
“Did I?” Sherlock was crestfallen, drugs had always been his last resort and now he didn’t even have that.  
“Yeah, you did, I remember that quite clearly as last time I saw you, you handed me the money and a broken nose” he explained still smug. In Sherlock’s spiral of fatal realisations, the dealer had taken out his phone and phoned the police as Sherlock had once instructed him to do so. “hello greg…”  
“NO!” Sherlock screamed, suddenly coming back to life. His hands tore and scratched for the phone but the dealer was too quick, he dodged out of Sherlock’s grasp and fully explained to Lestrade what had happened.  
This is what emotion did to people; it corroded them until all at once they crumbled. Sherlock fell to his knees in a desperate state of denial and depression. Soon Lestrade would be here and he’d tell John and John would look at him with the most disappointed look in his eyes and…  
He couldn’t bear it. Anger made him lash out at the betrayer, but once again he was too quick. The dealer pinned him against a wall with a single hand clutching at his throat. Sherlock struggled against him with might but fell weak.  
“I was going to be the bigger man and leave you here with yourself, you already looked broken. However this is the final straw, so instead, I’m going to break you.”  
The punches didn’t stop until the sound of sirens were in the distance and blood was steadily trickling down his face. The dealer ran, taking away the hand that supported him against the wall.  
He fell to the floor in a heap of blood and tears.  
“Sherlock!” Lestrade called as he rushed to his side. “I’m calling John” he assured him, bringing out his phone.  
“Not yet, not now” Sherlock pleaded weakly. He didn’t want him to see him like this; it would all be too much.  
“Ok, not yet. Later though and that’s a promise.” Lestrade agreed before Sherlock blacked out.  
The weary brown eyes of Greg Lestrade were the first things Sherlock saw as he regained consciousness. He’d been moved to the hospital and a great ache spread throughout his body, there was no life machines to be heard, so he took that as a good sign.  
“how you doing Sherlock?” Lestrade inquired.  
“I’ve just woken up, I’m not sure yet.”  
“right.”  
And eerie silence hung in the air; both of them knew what was coming.  
Finally Lestrade broke.  
“Why Sherlock? You were doing so well; your life was back on track, your career was going well, so what was it? I really hoped I’d never have to see you in that state again, neither did you brother. He’s worried sick down there. As is John-“  
The mention of John’s name caused a tremble in Sherlock’s lips and slight catch in his throat.  
“- you need to talk to us Sherlock. None of us want to go through that again. Talk to us next time please. There’s plenty of us – you have John –“  
“But I don’t do I?” erupted Sherlock, his name setting him off.  
“What?” Lestrade asked, confused.  
“He’s not mine is he? He never will be. He’ll be Sarah’s or Julie’s or Jean’s or whatever other bland girl walks past him and bats their eyes.”  
“Oh”  
“Thanks ‘Greg’ you really are the voice of sympathy” snapped Sherlock.  
“So you love john?”  
“God have I not spelt it out already? Yes, yes I do. I love him and there’s nothing I can do about it.”  
“Tell him. This isn’t really my division, but that’s all I know. You have to tell him.”  
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen-“  
“You never know Sherlock. For god sake’s I just want to see you happy; we all do! Try it, if not for yourself then for me or your brother or Mrs Hudson. And definitely do it for John.” With that lestrade left the room with a slam of the door.  
Sherlock wasn’t left with his own thoughts for long. John burst through the door a few moments later.  
“Sherlock I was so worried! Greg told me what happened. I’m so glad you’re ok!” He exclaimed with a sigh of relief.  
“What exactly did Lestrade tell you?” Sherlock asked cautiously, not really wanting to hear the answer.  
“That you ran into a bunch of yobs from an old case, and they weren’t too happy about seeing you again. Let face it, that understandable” he joked and Sherlock let out a breath of relief, silently thanking Lestrade with a promise to return all of his police badges. “He also said there was something you wanted to tell me?”  
Ok, maybe not the badges.  
John looked on, innocently waiting for the message.  
He couldn’t, it would make to too vulnerable, but he had to. His emotions were far too out of balance.  
“I know it can’t go anywhere, but I’ve been highly advised to tell you. Personally I believe it will make things very awkward but then again I have to-“  
“Come on Sherlock, spit it out” John interrupted him. He was starting to panic; his mind was spinning wildly out of control to worst possible outcomes and tragedies.  
“I’m sorry, but I love you” he closed his eyes, bracing himself for rejection. Instead he felt bed dip under John’s weight. They lay side by side, an arm propped under Sherlock’s head and his hesitant arm across John’s stomach.  
“Don’t apologise for that, because the thing is – I love you too and I don’t want to feel bad for that.” John admitted, pushing Sherlock’s hesitating arm down to lay firmly across his stomach. With his other hand their fingers intertwined lovingly and they both relaxed immediately.  
It was a lot simpler than Sherlock had expected, even if he hadn’t dared hoped for John’s response, he had imagined more fireworks and passionate kissing. But after his night, he was grateful for the understanding and accepting declaration of love.  
“Sherlock, what really happened tonight?” John inquired after a while, breaking the simple, delicate bubble of bliss surrounding them.  
After a deep breath, Sherlock told him, after all, this was John and he wanted the relationship to begin honestly.  
“So all of this happened, because you were horny..?” John asked holing back a giggle.  
“If that’s what you want to take away from it, then I suppose so” Sherlock agreed, surprised that it was the only part of the tale that sunk in for John.  
“Well in that case, we’ll have to do something about it. Don’t want you getting into this mess again. But not here, obviously. When we get home.” Hope filled Sherlock’s head with fantasies of him and John on the bed and more importantly what they were doing beneath the sheets. John stretched his head to kiss the side of Sherlock’s neck. “For now, get some sleep, I’m sure you’ll be discharged tomorrow” he ordered, pulling away from the bed. Sherlock grabbed a handful of his shirt, pulling him back.  
“Stay with me” he pleaded.  
Softly John prised Sherlock’s bony fingers from his shirt. He kissed his hand before he lay it back down to Sherlock’s side.  
“I’ll be right here” he promised, pointing to a seat beside the bed. “I won’t leave you now.”  
Reluctantly Sherlock lay down and let himself watch as John pick up a newspaper and settle down in the chair.  
A few moments later there came a dragging ‘Sherlock’ from behind the newspaper.  
“Yes John?”  
“Stop staring at me and go to sleep” he replied, still not looking away from his newspaper.  
On John’s command, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. However, hours later he drifted into a lighter sleep when the sound of a door opening and rustling of feet was heard.  
When he woke up, he couldn't quite recall whether the conversation he overheard was a dream, or reality, but it made him happy to know it took place.  
“Is he feeling better?” Lestrade asked cautiously, not sure whether the conversation had gone well or not.  
“He’s on the mend. I need to thank you Greg.”  
“For what John?”  
“For telling me about Sherlock.”  
“Oh that” the inspector said casually, “how did it go, are you two..?”  
Although he was still asleep, Sherlock was certain John nodded.  
“That’s great! About time to.” Lestrade congratulated him happily. “I’m sure he’ll be happy now, now he’s got you.”  
“I hope so Greg. I really do, because I know I will be."

**Author's Note:**

> lets face it, we all know johnlock is lestrade's OTP...  
> also most of it was inspired by this song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGytDsqkQY8) hence the title


End file.
